Toy



Feb. 23 1926.

1,573,990 L. J. MUELLER TOY Filed 0015. 27, 1922 Nz/eucr Patented F eb. 23, 1926.

1,5733% PA'rEur OFFICE.

LEONARD J. MUELLER, 033' DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TOY.

Application filed October 27, 1922. Serial No. 597,239.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD J. MUELLER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Toy, of which the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a toy and has for its object the provision of a toy which will be simple in structure, economical of manufacture and 7 highly efficient in use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of. a toy adapted for use as a roller coaster for marbles and the like and having 'means for preventing the marbles rolling thereon from reaching the lowermost incline of the coaster. 7

Another object of the invention is the provision of an incline bearing member for the rolling of marbles and the like thereon and having reciprocating inclines which may be moved relatively to each other so caused to roll onto an incline which was originally higher than the incline from which it passed.

1 Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood from a reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the invention,

Fig. 2'is a sectional view taken on substantially line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on substantially line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4c is a fragmentary plan view of the blank used in the invention.

The invention in its preferred form comprises a base 9'having upwardly projecting flanges 1O whicli serve as side-boards for the base upon which the marbles fall when they leave the incline. Projecting upwardly from the base member 9 are guide members 11 and 12, which are channel shaped and provided with flanges 15*and 16, the lower ends of said guides being fastened to the base by rivets or other suitable means. Connecting the upper ends of said guides is a cross member 13, the guides and said cross member being made from a stamping of steel or tin. The cross member 13 is buckled at its center to form the upwardly extending portion 14, on the upper edge of which is pivotally mounted an arm or beam 31.

Positioned within the guides and adapted for slidable movement therein, within cer tain limits, is a pair of incline bearing members upon which marbles or the like may be placed to allow the same to roll down the incline. These incline bearing members, in the present embodiment, are struck from a blank shown in Fig. 1. The sides 17 and 18 of the blank are turned at right angles to the main body of the blank. Struck from the main body of the blank are incline members 19, each incline being provided, intermediate its ends, with a recess 20, thus providing for a tongue 21 in the metal between the inclines. As will be noted this tongue extends longitudinally of the inclines and terminates within the ends of said inclines. Each of the inclines is provided with a tongue 22 and 23 at its opposite ends. It will be noted that these inclines are struck at an incline to the sides of the blank so that when the portion 19 is turned down wardly to form the platform or runway for the marbles rolling thereover, it will be in clined downwardly toward one side. hen the portion 19 is turned downwardly so that it extends at right angles to the plane of the main body of the blank the tongues 22 and 23 are thrust through slots and 24, formed in the portions 17 and 18, and are then turned over to bind the runway in operative position. It will be noted that the inclines are not extending at true right angles to the main body of the blank but are inclined bodily downwardly slightly, the mrpose of which will appear presently.

ositioned within the guides and extending centrally thereof is a spacing member 28, the upper end of which is angnlarly turned and secured by means of a suitable rivet 29 to the portion 13. The lower end thereof is also similarly turned and secured by means of a suitable bolt or screw to the base 9. As shown in Fig. 3 the spacer does not extend for the full width of the frame incline bearing members being positioned within the guides, the portions 17 and 18 riding in the channels, the edges of said flanges 17 and 18 being extended inwardly of the frame toward the spacer. When the incline bearing members are thus positioned the runways incline longitudinally in opposite directions and are inclined bodily, slightly, toward each other, so that a marble or other spherical article placed thereon will run down the incline to the end of the runway. Having cleared the edge of the spacer the spherical article will then roll onto the incline on the opposite side of the spacer and will then roll down this incline to the end thereof, so that a spherical article started at the top of the frame may roll down the several inclines to the bottom of the frame, being alternately at opposite sides of the spacer.

The arm 31 is connected at one end by means of the member to one of the inclined bearing members and at the other end by means of the member 33 to the other incline bearing member. Provided in the flange 16 of one of the guides is a slot 26 in which rides a knob 27 which is mounted on one of the incline bearing members. By moving the knob vertically the incline bearing member isreciprocated in the guide and through the connection with the beam 31 the other incline bearing member is also reciprocated in the guides, these two members moving in oapositedirections atthe same time. VViththis construction it is possible to raise the relative position of the sphere rolling down. the inclines to the frame during the time thesphe-re is rolling. To illustrate this it may be supposed that a sphere is rolling down the incline 77.. This sphere will be deposited, at the end of the incline onto the rtu way 7 8." From this runway-the sphere will pass onto the-runway 7 9, if the r inways are not moved; By moving the knob downwardly the incline 78 is raised relatively totherunway 79, so that the sphere will be deposited on the runway 80 instead of the runway 79. By repeating this action the sphere may be raised on the runways from the bottom to .the top while it is still traveling downwardly on the various runways, the reciprocating of the incline bearing members'being done quickly so that the change in position of these members is brought about, each time, during the time it takes the sphere to travel the length of the runway.

It will be noted CGIlClS upwardly at the outer edge of the runway and serves as a guide to prevent the marble or sphere from rolling off the incline at its outer edge. The spacer maybe made from tin or it that the portion 21 eX- may be made from some transparent mate rial so the spheres rolling down the inclines or runways will be visible from either side of the device.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction I do not wish to limit myself to the precise form of structure shown but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come Y 2. A toy of the class described compris ing a frame; separate runway bearing members mounted in said frame; runways mounted in each of said bearing members, said runways being longitudinally and transversely inclined to the vertical, the runways in the separate bearing members being co-operatively arranged and transversely inclined toward each other, for permitting the reception by the runway of one beiuring member of a rolling member travelling on a runway in the other bearing member; and means for changing the relative position of said bea ing members.

A toy of the class described comprising a supporting member; runway bearing members associated with said supporting members and movable vertically relatively thereto; runways mounted in said bearing members inclinedlongitudinally and transversely to the vertical; a spacing element mounted on said frame and adapted for separating the runways of the separate bearing members intermediate their ends; and a rocking beam associated with said bearing members for effecting a reciprocation of the same. l

4. A toy of the class described, comprising a supporting member;-a pair of sets of runways, oppositely disposed, each runway being longitudinally inclined to the vertical, the runways in one set being adapted for the reception of a rolling object from the co-operating runways of the other set, said sets being relatively movable for permitting the bodily movement of the runways in one set to a position above or below co; operating runways in the opposite. set, the runways in said sets being ec-operative in either position. v i I In testimony whereof I ha *e hereuntoset my hand at Detroit. in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan.

LEONARD J. MUELLER. 

